Tyrese’s Meltdown Is Not A Laughing Matter

Tyrese has been venting via his Instagram account since his parenting skills have been under scrutiny in the courtroom. His ex-wife, Norma Gibson, asked for a temporary order of protection against Tyrese and full custody of their 10-year-old daughter, Shayla, while the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services opened an investigation regarding physical abuse claims against him. All of these events put the Black Rose singer into a vulnerable place, understandingly so.

On November 1st, Tyrese posted a video of him sobbing over the possibility of his daughter being taken away from him. He tearfully said none of his friends had been there for him during this difficult time and that the $13,000 a month in legal fees were straining him. After this video went viral I saw that many poked fun at the LA native. 50 Cent saw this as a laughing matter.

“F**k him,” 50 wrote in a comment later on. “He should’ve of mind his business when I was talking to Taraji. He came jumping in like he think we’re in a f**king movie. Punk ass Coca-Cola kid.”

There were also memes.

Excuse me for not laughing, but this isn’t funny. This is a man who is melting down over being criticized and estranged from his child. Why poke fun? The masses look down on absent and abusive fathers who are negligent of their children’s needs. Tyrese has always publicly displayed his love of being a father and now he is publicly showing his despair about being separated from his daughter. We saluted him before, but now we laugh. What’s so funny?

As a therapist, my clinical judgment says he should seek therapy from a mental professional. I can’t assess him to diagnose him with a mental illness, however his Instagram posts have been tangential and he has gone to extreme measures to prove his love for his daughter (to whom? And why?) He also has been quite irrational towards The Rock for agreeing to do his Hobbsmovie spinoff. His ex-wife claims that he has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, claims that Tyrese denies. Either way, one thing that cannot be denied is that this man is dealing with psychological distress and the internet is making memes instead of encouraging him. How about we urge him to put the phone down and not post anything while in such a fragile state? Why don’t we urge him to go seek help and do everything that the judge tells him to do so he can accomplish his goal: to see his child. I’m sure his friends have reached out to him to see how he was doing, and the internet trolls are not his friends; however if you can post something on social media, why must it be so insensitive?

Granted, Tyrese put himself out there by even posting the video, knowing the internet has no chill. He brought attention to the fact that he is in a fragile place emotionally. He shed light on his legal fees and that his “millionaire” friends have abandoned him. Yet, he still hasn’t learned his lesson and continues to keep nothing about this battle private. He seemingly wants to show the world that he is a black father being wrongly persecuted, but instead he is making himself a target by not setting any limits about what he shares with the world.

Remember when the masses praised Jay Z for admitting to going to therapy on his 4:44 album? We all rooted for him because he normalized being a black man addressing his mental health in therapy. However, when a black man whose mental health may be deteriorating and is breaking down right before our eyes, people clown him. Black folks, my people, we must do better.